Method of forming a winch assembly upon a power-driven vehicle, and such assembly

ABSTRACT

A winch assembly and method for mounting upon a power-driven vehicle wheel, the assembly including two or more bar members threaded at one end for mounting upon the vehicle wheel in place of the vehicle wheel retaining nuts or bolts, and a unitary, fixed, preferably annular, support means insertable between the bar members to brace and strengthen the bar members when a cable is wound thereon, with the compressive forces of the cable serving to further secure the support means. The bar members and support means are conveniently assembled upon the wheel to form a reel structure fixed to the vehicle wheel which, upon rotation, function as a winch, and which may be conveniently disassembled into component parts for storage.

United States Patent Blum [451 Nov. 4, 1975 METHOD OF FORMING A WINCH[76] Inventor: Julius A. Blum, 5450 Vale Drive,

Denver, Colo. 80222 [22] Filed: Feb. 25, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 446,035

[52] US. Cl. 254/166; 242/95 R [51] Int. Cl. B66D 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch 254/166 R, 150 R; 242/95 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,162,822 12/1915 Thomson 242/95 1,504,939 8/1924 Carmony 242/952,507,903 5/1950 Grounds 242/95 2,662,731 12/1953 Smith 254/1663,099,416 7/1963 Wright 242/95 3,784,163 1/1974 Swanson et a1. 254/1663,784,164 1/1974 Blum 242/95 R 3,820,734 6/1974 Selliken 242/95 RPrimary ExaminerRobert J. Spar Assistant Examinerl(enneth NolandAttorney, Agent, or FirmThomas W. ORourke ABS IRACT A winch assembly andmethod for mounting upon a power-driven vehicle wheel, the assemblyincluding two or more bar members threaded at one end for mounting uponthe vehicle wheel in place of the vehicle wheel retaining nuts or bolts,and a unitary, fixed, preferably annular, support means insertablebetween the bar members to brace and strengthen the bar members when acable is wound thereon, with the compressive forces of the cable servingto further secure the support means. The bar members and support meansare conveniently assembled upon the wheel to form a reel structure fixedto the vehicle wheel which, upon rotation, function as a winch, andwhich may be conveniently disassembled into component parts for storage.

7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Fig- J METHOD OFFORMING A WINCH ASSEMBLY UPON A POWER-DRIVEN VEHICLE, AND SUCH ASSEMBLYBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Operation of amotor vehicle in snow, sand or muddy conditions will frequently requirethe use of a winch to assist in freeing the vehicle from a miredcondition. Accordingly, such vehicles commonly include apermanently-mounted, power-driven, or a hand-powered, winch assemblywhich can be anchored to a fixed object to free a stuck vehicle.However, vehicle-mounted power-driven winches, and most hand winches,are quite expensive, and are difficult to justify economically forcasual use.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various detachable winch assemblies aredisclosed in the prior art. These assemblies typically employ arelatively heavy cylinderical drum which is driven by a powered vehiclewheel through an adaptor. U.S. Pat. Nos. 944,956, 1,495,225, 3,099,416,3,292,905 and 3,392,961 are typical examples of prior art. As a resultof the use of a relatively heavy and rigid winch drum, which isdifficult to store and handle, and rather complex adaptor assemblies formounting the drum on a wheel, these prior concepts have not been provenentirely satisfactory, though the concepts disclosed are more suitablefor casual use than the above-discussed permanently-mounted orhand-powered winch assemblies.

My prior art US. Pat. No. 3,784,164 discloses a substantial improvementupon the more conventional prior art. My prior concept utilizes T-barsextending from lug-mounting means from vehicle wheels in conjunctionwith linear, longitudinally extendible and adjustable struts. However,since a strut is required between each pair of T-bars, and since theassembly and adjustment of the struts often must be carried out underadverse conditions when a vehicle is mired in, for instance, snow ormud, my prior concept has, on occasion, proven cumbersome andinconvenient. This is particularly true when one or more of the strutsinadvertently falls into snow or mud during assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is particularly directedto a winch assembly which can be readily and conveniently mounted upon avehicle wheel utilizing a minimum of parts and which avoids the use ofmultiple, small, difficulty handled parts. By utilizing the compressiveforce of a cable as it winds upon the reel, the present inventiongreatly simplifies the assembly and use of a wheelmounted winch which isassembled upon the driven wheel, and disassembled for storage.

The winch assembly of the present invention is comprised of two or morerigid bar members threaded at one end either internally or externally asrequired to interface with vehicle wheel securing bolts or nuts.Preferably, a handle is welded to the opposite end of the bar members toform a T-bar construction, thereby providing convenient purchase inthreading the bar members onto or off of a wheel mounting. A fixedsupport means, preferably annular, having either holes or detents isinserted between the bar members to brace the bar members radially. Whena cable, rope, etc., is wound onto the bar members, the bar-members tendto compress together and thus firmly secure the support meanstherebetween.

More specifically, the assembly is mounted upon a vehicle wheel byremoving two or more of the vehicle wheel retainer means, be the meansnuts or bolts, and threading a bar member onto the vehicle wheel inplace of the vehicle wheel retaining means which have been removed. Thebar members are tightened onto the wheel and serve to retain the vehiclewheel in a similar manner as the vehicle wheel retaining means. Thefixed support means is then inserted between the outer ends of the barmembers. In the case of the support means utilizing holes rather thanindents, the bars, when in T-bar form, are inserted through the supportmeans holes when fastend to the wheel. A winch cable is secured to thethus formed reel assembly, and, upon rotation of the powered vehiclewheel, the cable is wound upon the bar members inboard of the fixedsupporting means thereby functioning as a reel. The tension of the cablearound the bar members firmly secures the fixed supporting means withinthe bar members.

Preferably, the fixed supporting means is annular and in the form of adisc having a plurality of holes defined therein. The holes positivelysecure the fixed support means within the bar members thereby precludingthe possibility of the fixed support means being thrown off bycentrifugal force. Optionally, two or more fixed supporting means can beemployed to further strengthen the bar members, preferably with thefirst additional such means being located adjacent the wheel.

While at least two bar members are necessary to form a minimal reel,three or more bar members are preferred in order to obtain a strongerassembly, a more even load distribution and a more nearly annular reelassembly.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent byreference to the specification to the drawlngs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle wheel illustrating a winchassembly of the present invention assembled thereon;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle wheel as shown in FIG. 1;and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a preferred fixed support meansaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings,wherein like components are designated by like reference numeralsthroughout the figures, a winch assembly according to the instantinvention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and generally designated byreference numeral 10. Winch assembly 10 is comprised of bar members 14,having T- handles 16 attached thereto, conveniently by welding across-piece perpendicular to the end of bar member 14. At the oppositeend of bar member 14 from T- handle 16 is a threaded portion 18,conveniently a conventional lug nut securely welded to the end of barmember 14, and a blind channel 22 aligned with and of a somewhat largerdiameter than the major diameter of the threads of threaded portion 18.

Bar members 14 are positioned and strengthened by fixed support means20, as shown in a preferred embodiment in FIG. 3. Preferably, fixedsupport means 20 is in the form of an annular disc having a series ofopenings 24 defined therein, openings 24 preferably being .elongatedwith a radial major axis. By properly spacing elongated openings 24 infixed support means 20, various bolt pattern wheel assemblies can beaccommodated by fixed support means 20. Similarly, lug bolt patterns ofvarying diameters can be accommodated by elongated openings 24.Alternatively, fixed support means may be in the form of a disc havingindents on the outer periphery thereof. Such indented disc would be of asmaller diameter than the preferred embodiment illustrated, but wouldgenerally be similar to the illustrated embodiment with the outerdiameter decreased until openings 24 were in the form of indents ratherthan fully enclosed openings. The advantage of the preferred embodimentlies in the safety and stability of a fully closed opening 24, while thealternative indent fixed support means 20 would have the convenience ofbeing insertable between bar members 14 after attachment of bar members14 to the wheel. Clearly, the illustrated embodiment would require barmembers 14 having T-handle 16 to be inserted through openings 24 priorto attachment to the wheel assembly.

In operation, a plurality, and preferably three or more, of bar members14 are attached to lug bolts 24 after lug nuts are removed. At least onefixed support means 20 is positioned with bar members 14 extendingthrough openings 24. Optionally, another fixed support means 20 can beadvantageously positioned inwardly on bar members 14 as shown in aghosted fashion in FIG. 2.

When assembled as described above, bar members 14, and specificallythreaded portion 18, secure rim 26 with mounted tire 28 andconcurrently, in conjunction with fixed support means 20, andsecondarily, T-handle 16, form a reel extending outwardly and positionedto accept cable 36, or similar pliable means. Accordingly, when rim 26and tire 28 are rotated by the vehicle power plant, cable 36 winds ontobar members 14 thereby functioning as a winch. Further, cable 36 inducesa compressive force between bar members 14 to secure fixed support means20 between bar members 14.

Several readily apparent modifications or alternative embodiments may beemployed. For instance, in the instance of a vehicle employing removablelug bolts, the ends of bar members 14 would, of course, be threaded withexternal threads. Also, instead of welded threaded portion 18, barmember 14 can merely be bored with a blind channel and tappedappropriately. If there is any doubt as to the quality of the weldbetween the conventional nut and bar member 14, this latter approachshould be employed.

Since the winch assembly of the instant invention depends upon rotationof a powered wheel, in the instance of a differential drive,winchassemblies may have to be applied to opposed wheels to provide aneven and effective pulling power upon the cable.

As compared to previous apparatus of others and myself, the presentinvention as above described and illustrated enjoys unique advantages ina reduced number of parts, the simplicity of the parts, convenient sizeand simple assembly. Although only a preferred embodiment of theinvention has been illustrated and fully described, it is anticipatedthat various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilledin the art and that such changes may be made without departing from thescope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of forming a winch assembly on a powered vehicle wheelhaving detachable wheel securing means, comprising: attaching aplurality of elongated bar members to the vehicle wheel securing means,the bar members being axial extensions of the wheel securing means,inserting a fixed dimension support means in an initially slackcondition between the bar members at ends of the bar members spaced fromthe wheel with the bar members positioned in openings larger than thediameter of the bar members defined in the fixed sup- 1 the fixedsupport means in a finally unslack condition 1 between the bar members,whereby the fixed support means and bar members form a final simple,convenient and sturdy reel assembly attached to the wheel assembly.

2. For use in combination with a power-driven vehicle wheel assemblyhaving a plurality of detachable threaded wheel securing fastener meansdisposed symmetrically about the wheel axis, a winch assembly forforming a wheel-mounted reel upon which a cable means may be wound uponrotation of the wheel, consisting essentially of: a plurality ofelongated, rigid bar members each having threaded means at one endthereof corresponding to the threads of the detachable wheel fastenermeans whereby each of the bar members may be mounted upon said wheelassembly in axially projecting relationship theretoin place of a wheelfastener means, and at least one fixed dimension support means havingopenings larger than the bar mem ber diameter defined therein to receivethe bar members, said fixed dimension support means being positionedbetween the bar members with the openings receiving thebar members at aposition on the bar members adjacent the ends of the bar members remotefrom the threaded portion of the bar members adapted to engage thedetachable wheel fastener means, whereby the cable means may be wounddirectly around the bar.

members which, in conjunction with the fixed dimension support means,form a sturdy reel assembly from the initially loosely assembled reel inwhich the support means is axially movable prior to winding of the cablemeans.

3. A winch assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the fixed supportmeans is in the form of a disc having equiarcuately spaced openingstherein.

4. A winch assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein the openings arefully enclosed.

5. A winch assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the openings areelongated with the major axis in radial directions.

6. A winch assembly utilizing the wheel attachment 1 means of a poweredvehicle wheel as a part of the assembly, the assembly consistingessentially of: a plurality of bar members attached to the vehicle wheelat the wheel attachment'means and extending axially therefrom, and atleast one unitary, fixed dimension support means having spaced openingslarger than the diameter,

around the support means to secure the support means within the barmembers.

' 7. A winch assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein a second supportmeans is positioned adjacent the wheel and otherwise similarly betweenthe bar members.

1. A method of forming a winch assembly on a powered vehicle wheelhaving detachable wheel securing means, comprising: attaching aplurality of elongated bar members to the vehicle wheel securing means,the bar members being axial extensions of the wheel securing means,inserting a fixed dimension support means in an initially slackcondition between the bar members at ends of the bar members spaced fromthe wheel with the bar members positioned in openings larger than thediameter of the bar members defined in the fixed support means to form ainitial reel assembly in which the fixed support means is axially movedalong the bar members attaching cable means to the reel assembly,rotating tHe wheel assembly to wind the cable means in a reel fashiondirectly upon the bar members, and inducing compressive inward radialforces on the bar members by the cable means tension to axially securethe fixed support means in a finally unslack condition between the barmembers, whereby the fixed support means and bar members form a finalsimple, convenient and sturdy reel assembly attached to the wheelassembly.
 2. For use in combination with a power-driven vehicle wheelassembly having a plurality of detachable threaded wheel securingfastener means disposed symmetrically about the wheel axis, a winchassembly for forming a wheel-mounted reel upon which a cable means maybe wound upon rotation of the wheel, consisting essentially of: aplurality of elongated, rigid bar members each having threaded means atone end thereof corresponding to the threads of the detachable wheelfastener means whereby each of the bar members may be mounted upon saidwheel assembly in axially projecting relationship thereto in place of awheel fastener means, and at least one fixed dimension support meanshaving openings larger than the bar member diameter defined therein toreceive the bar members, said fixed dimension support means beingpositioned between the bar members with the openings receiving the barmembers at a position on the bar members adjacent the ends of the barmembers remote from the threaded portion of the bar members adapted toengage the detachable wheel fastener means, whereby the cable means maybe wound directly around the bar members which, in conjunction with thefixed dimension support means, form a sturdy reel assembly from theinitially loosely assembled reel in which the support means is axiallymovable prior to winding of the cable means.
 3. A winch assembly as setforth in claim 2 wherein the fixed support means is in the form of adisc having equiarcuately spaced openings therein.
 4. A winch assemblyas set forth in claim 3 wherein the openings are fully enclosed.
 5. Awinch assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the openings areelongated with the major axis in radial directions.
 6. A winch assemblyutilizing the wheel attachment means of a powered vehicle wheel as apart of the assembly, the assembly consisting essentially of: aplurality of bar members attached to the vehicle wheel at the wheelattachment means and extending axially therefrom, and at least oneunitary, fixed dimension support means having spaced openings largerthan the diameter of the bar members defined therein positioned betweenthe bar members at a portion of the bar members spaced from the wheelwith the bar members loosely positioned in the openings in the supportmeans, whereby anchored cable means may be wound directly upon the barmembers forming the reel upon rotation of the wheel thereby concurrentlyproducing a tension in the cable means and compressing the bar membersaround the support means to secure the support means within the barmembers.
 7. A winch assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein a secondsupport means is positioned adjacent the wheel and otherwise similarlybetween the bar members.